Rep. Jackie Speier calls for Presidential Commission on Women

A California congresswoman is pressing forward with legislation to set up a permanent federal commission on women just weeks after President Barack Obama created an interagency council to focus the government’s policies towards women and girls.
“I don’t see them at all in competition. I see them as complementary to each other,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) told POLITICO.
Speier said she plans to introduce a bill today that would set up a 13-member federal commission similar to one President Kennedy created in 1961 at the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt, who also served as the panel’s chairwoman.
“I would say, ‘We’ve come a long way, baby’ … not,” Speier said, putting a twist on the old Virginia Slims cigarette slogan. “If you look at statistics, it’s very telling. Women represent only 17 percent of Congress. The amount women make in comparison to men is only 77 cents on the dollar. … It’s that kind of insidious discrimination that lingers.”
Here is what a new women’s group calling themselves WomenCount is saying:

“You’ve probably seen the news recently about President Obama creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. It’s an important step, and we applaud the President for taking it.
But the White House Council serves a very different purpose than the Commission created by this bill. The Council coordinates all federal policy dealing with women’s issues, whereas the Commission would take a step back and look at every aspect of life for women in America.
The Commission would develop the policies that create equality and opportunity for women, and work with the White House to implement those policies.”

I guess the main difference between the Presidential Commission on Women and the White House Council on Women and Girls is that the latter– as I read it in news reports–
1) would consist primarily of periodic Cabinet-level meetings between mostly male Cabinet heads on how the work of each department affects women and girls, to be coordinated by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett.
2) to me, this sounds more like analyzing how the government currently works and how that work impacts women and girls in particular. The problem is that these meetings will be constrained by existing structures of how Departments operate and the discussions will take place mostly between the men who lead these departments– not necessarily the people who know the most or are most passionate about issues affecting women and girls.
I think the Council was a great move by Obama but frankly, if I was a Cabinet member I would see these meetings as important — but a sideshow, if not a chore.
A Presidential Commission, on the other hand,
1) would have more of a permanent staff, directly focused on issues affecting women and girls. Rather than just a series of meetings by mostly male Cabinet heads, the permanent staff would study womens’ issues directly without being constrained by existing government operations.
2) they would be able to do research, create reports and recommendations, and build a critical mass.
I really think it’s important for us feminists to have a voice in government– I think even seeing that such a commission is created would embolden more women to speak out about the issues women face.
This plan will be unveiled today, April 2 and the White House has not yet made a decision on this. The White House keeps a tally of all the calls and mail they receive by topic and it is reviewed periodically. If you support this idea go here, or call the White House comments line at: 202-456-1111.
What do you think?